Alternators for cars – are they interchangeable?

I have an Izuzu TF pick-up and the alternator has died. The local garage I normally use says he can’t get a match for the part. The Izuzu main dealer wants £500!

I am guessing that the alternator is a fairly generic unit so I should be able to get one from another 2.5 turbo diesel pick-up that will do the job.

Are they likely to be interchangeable?

Just spoke to Vauhall dealer about an alternator for a Vaxhall Barava (same car) and have been quoted £230 plus VAT!

no they’re not. an alternator is engine-specific, and may even be model specific depending on the shape of the engine bay. You’d probably be able to bodge one from another car in, but it’ll cost so much in labour its worth getting the right part

phone up a few breakers – you should be able to get a second hand one with a warranty. that said, £230 for an alternator on a car that size isn’t bad value

+1 for a scrappy.

Auto elctrician who re condition should do a swap + cash or get your fixed cheaper but not sure on the price.

If that imcludes fitting it sounds about right. You do need the specific unit for your car as the fittings differ from one unit to the next see if you can find a supply only unit and fit it yourself its an easy job.

Try a local motor factors. They should be able to get one, explain it’s the same as the Vauxhall, or get the part number from Vauxhall and see which vehicles have the same alternator.

Youll need to get one the same as the ampage and bolt holes to mount it will be different, but one alternator will fit more than one car in most cases

Try a scrapyard when you know which cars it fits???

fleabay

+1 for ebay!

plus this is something you could fit within a morning!

Years ago, I had a problem with an alternator, Nine times out of ten, the car started fine; that other one, it’d go ‘click’ and be totally dead. If you looked closely, the battery light was ever-so-dimly lit.

I spent ages (and a small fortune) at garages and auto-electricians and never got anywhere with it. Finally took it direct to Lucas, and they diagnosed and fixed it inside of five minutes.

Where I’m going with this is, are there any alternator specialists near you?

Just been on the phone with startermotor-alternater-store.co.uk and they have been very helpful.

It is a very specific part LR160-502B

The 502B and C are interchangeable but not the 502A, D or E. This part varies with the model year. They are trying to source one now but they are not always interchangeable with the Vauxhall units and none of the Southampton scrappies have and Isuzu parts in.

Grrr – I am going away this weekend with five bikes and a family worth of gear. That will not fit in the Merc. I wonder how long the battery will last if I just fully charge it today?

Cougar – I have been down the local garage and there is no charge coming off the alternator.

Any ideas how to track down an alternator specialist near Southampton?

Google just returns a list of sellers, not fixers

I wonder how long the battery will last if I just fully charge it today?

Long enough to get you far enough away from home to make you very unpopular when it breaks down.

Edit: Phone an auto electrician, they may be able to help.

I am was going away this weekend

FTFY

Oh, btw – the actual generating part of an alternator is simply coils and a magnet, ne c’est pas? So it can’t fail unless the coils have burned out. It could just be a wiring fault or there’s a control module on the back of it isn’t there, with a few diodes in it..?

Might be easier to source the electronic bit than a new alternator…

My old Corsa was £400 for the Alternator, just had a new one on the Golf and it was £180 + fitting – bad news is the fitting was £400!!!

http://www.yell.com/ucs/UcsSearchAction.do?keywords=autoelectrician&location=southampton&scrambleSeed=77405824&searchType=advance&M=&bandedclarifyResults=&ssm=1&autocomplete=kwlo

a paper based telephone directory ios availabel as well

molgrips is right the charge bit very rarely fails. Regualtor on the back cost £15 for my Ford diesel one and is the most likely cause IMHO Take it off and take to one of those and plead as to how urgent it is etc

there’s a control module on the back of it isn’t there, with a few diodes in it..?

That was what was wrong with mine in the end – corroded wire inside the rectifier.

WorldClassAccident – Member
Any ideas how to track down an alternator specialist near Southampton?

My Dad has uses a man in Christchurch if that is any help. I can try and phone my Dad for his details if you want.

My Renault van does about 10 miles on battery power only. Not recommended though as it dies quite fast and you get about 30 secs warning before the fuel stops. Stay off the motorway !!

Sorry for seeming thick, but as an alternator simply produces electricity why are they so specific? I presume it must be more than the actual fitting of it.
I put one on an old tractor a few years ago and just got one from the scrappy that put the pulley in the right place – worked a charm.

I think it might be todo with
1. The fittings
2. The regulator, might be some requirements from other parts of the engine management to the regulator???

The size and shape, the capacity (in terms of current), the pulley size (you need the gearing to be right) and so on.

solution is;

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p12867

running continuously in the bed of the pickup and run charging leads through to battery 😉

The size and shape, the capacity (in terms of current), the pulley size (you need the gearing to be right) and so on.

I get the size and shape thing (why they can’t be standard is a little bewildering) but as an engine rev through quite large range I’m surprised the gearing/output makes any difference – isn’t any overcapacity produced simply dumped?

I think they work at constant voltage anyway, don’t they? But I think if the pulley is too small it can end up going too fast for it’s design spec.. dunno.

I *think* a dynamo is a constant current device (think about the physics a little) not a constant voltage device like a battery. The regulator is the bit that makes it into a clever alternator, regulating the voltage so that charging is efficient.

[/Not an electrical engineer]

Alternator is constant current – dynamos were the ones that didn’t work below a certain rpm.

biggest issue with pulley is obviously keeping belt tension correct as power steering/water pumps/etc are often driven by same belt.

Internals are much of a muchness so a local refurb is probably the best bet.

I think they work at constant voltage anyway, don’t they?

Yes I think so (14v or something once they’ve started producing electrics) but bigger ones output more amps – but why can’t some cars deal with higher amps?
Just seems daft that there are so many different versions.

WCA

Apparently there is somewhere in Millbrook that does repairs. Not sure where a I opted to buy a new one instead.

serious post – have you tried tapping it with a lump hammer? I’ve managed to get an extra 1000 miles out of a ‘dead’ alternator this way – on the other hand it did nothing for her indoor’s ka

but why can’t some cars deal with higher amps

The amps will be the same with a given voltage.

Check the Diode and the contact bushes, more often than not it’s one of these and both are simple to replace. When you have a flickering battery light it’s generally worn bushes or a broken spring holding them in place.

They are generally around £20 from an auto electrics shop.

only if your particular alternator takes replaceable bushes, not many do.

I think they work at constant voltage anyway, don’t they? But I think if the pulley is too small it can end up going too fast for it’s design spec.. dunno.

they do as it is regulated but it is affected by load like all electrics.
Each alternator is designed for a specfic rev range [petrol higher than diesel for example]Imagine you fitted a pulley that was x2 of your old one then you alternator now turns twice as fast etc

but why can’t some cars deal with higher amps

The amps will be the same with a given voltage.

I dont know what you mean – Do you? not being rude
Wire and therefore the electics are designed for a certain amps exceed this and you can blow fuses and burn out/melt wires – more likely the former.
Amps and volts are not related to each other. Imagine a river volts is how fast the river is flowing amps is how wide it is power is how much water flows HTH ..not trying to patronise i struggled with this whilst wiring my boat up. Obvioulsy all can vary.
You could have 120 watts of power [water flow by either 12 v @ 10 amp or 240 at 0.5 amp
one has a fast flowing narrow river , one a slow moving wide one. etc.

In the happy days when I had a mark 3 Cortina, I kept a spare alternator and starter motor in the boot with a socket set. Tenner for each from a scrap yard. About 5-10 minutes to change either. Not so easy these days.

Still might be worth ringing around scrapyards